Les Jardins De Saint-Benoit Hotel

Les Jardins de Saint Benoît Route de Talairan 11220 - Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse

Spread over 20 acres of rural French countryside, Les Jardins de Saint-Benoît is a resort in the pretty village of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse in Languedoc. The estate is designed to ensure that it is part of – rather than apart from – the village. And with its own vineyard and renovated 12th-century gardens (which give the hotel its name), and views of olive groves and mountains, it’s a lovely place for a relaxing weekend getaway. Accommodation is either in maisons vigneronnes, fashioned in the traditional style of a winemaker’s home with floor-to-ceiling windows, large gardens and private pools, or maisons de village, traditional Mediterranean retreats with wooden shutters and lime-washed walls. That’s as far as the rusticity goes though – there’s wi-fi, flat-screen TV and all the other necessary tech. All villas have fitted kitchens, washing machines, barbecues and bedrooms beautifully kitted out with wooden furniture and Egyptian cotton bed linen. The advantage of self-catering, of course, is the fact that you can do that French must-do – trot down to the local village for a fresh baguette and croissants, make fragrant French coffee and sit on your terrace in the morning sunshine – idyllic. Hire a bike to explore the nearby villages, castles, abbeys and vineyards. Saint Laurent is equidistant from historic Narbonne (20 minutes) and medieval Carcassonne (30 minutes), which means you’ll never be short of ideas for day trips. Evenings are simple; start with a glass of local syrah in the hotel’s Mediterranean restaurant, which serves thyme-crusted lamb and fig desserts. One-bedroom villas from £105.